Controlling system.



ELW. ADAMS.

CONTROLLING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28,1915.

Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

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nneen w. ADAMS, or HAMPSTEAD, Lonnonn'nenenn, assrenon, s r nnsn'n assren- MENTS, T0 WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION -03,

NEW YORK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, EDGAR W. ADAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at 71 Haverstock Hill, Hampstead, London, Eng land, have invented'certain new and useful Improvements in Controlling Systems, of

which the-following is a full, clear, concise,

and exact description.

lihis invention relates to a system of apparatus for controlling or indicating the relative speeds or difference in speed bea tween the feed mechanisms of two machines.

p The apparatus of the invention is particu-' larly applicable to an arrangement wherein two or more machines are adapted to successively act upon a band of material passing between them. In arrangements of this character if one machine feeds the band faster than'it is being supplied by another, and the action of the first machine is not controlled, the tension or strain on'the band may become suficient to'tear or mutilate it. On the other hand, if one machine supplies the band at a faster rate than it is being acted upon "by a second machine, an undesirable accumulation of the hand between the machines willresult.

The principal object of the present invention is, therefore, to overcome these difficulties by automatically stopping the feeding of the band before a strain thereon, due to the slower feeding of a supplying machine,

reaches an undesirable amount, and to-auto matically, stop the supplying machine upon an undue accumulation of the band between machines when one supplies faster than another 1s using, or to indicate the presence of rial acted upon, such as an endless band, belt or chain, is passed over two sprockets or toothed wheels, one of said wheels being driven in exact synchronism with the feed wheel of the supplying machine, and the second of said wheels being I driven in exact synchronism with the feed wheel of the sec- 0nd machine. If the secondmachine feeds faster than the supplying machine after a time which can be regulated by the initial slackness of the belt between the wheels, the

'vided with a' ratchet wheel 27.

CONTROLLING SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentedflet. 3h, 191M530 Application filed any as, 1915. Serial 42331.

v theelectrical circuit arrangements in such a manner as to give anindication or stop the second machine. s the belt will become taut on the lower side of the wheels and will operate a lever for controlling the stoppage of the supplying Similarly, if the supplymachine or a signal to indicate 'thatysuch machine should be stopped.

The above and other objects of this in vention will be fully. set forth in the followmachine feeds faster than .the second,

ing description and claims, and will be more readily understood. by. reference to the ac:

companying drawing wherein the apparatus and circuit connections are matically. I

If the invention forms an element of. an automatic telegraph: system, in which field it will be found most useful, it may be employedto control and indicate the condition of a perforated band of material 10 passing between and acted upon by'a keyboard tape perforator'l and an automatic current i111]- pulse controlling transmitter TQ Since neither the perforating nor current controlling portions of these machines enter directly into the operationv of the invention, none of their details, except the tape feed ing elements, are shown. In the perforator the tape is fed through the agency of a toothed feed wheel 11, whose teeth cotiperate with a centrally disposed row ofopenings therein, to insure its uniform advancement.

Wheel. 11 iscarried by a shaft 12 to which r is secured a. ratchet wheel 13. Ratchet wheel 13 coiiperates with a pawl 14, carried by an armature '15 of an electromagne t 16.

Electromagnet 16 is energized by'current. from a grounded source of energy 17, when A a switch 18, preferably controlled in any suitable. manner by the punchcontrolling mecha nism of the perforating machine, is closed v in the transmitter, the tape feeding wheel 25 is carried by a shaft 2 6 which is also pro- Ratchet ice wheel 27 coiiperates with a pawl 28 carried tape. 10 in its passage between the perfoits Tocontinfl or indicate the condition of rater if andthe transmitter 'l, shafts 12 i and, 26 are extended and provided with wheels 35 and 36, respectively, interconnecting these: wheels is an endless band 37.

' In order to prevent any slipping between the; band 37 and it's coeperatingwheels 35 and 36, the surfaces of the wheels may be roughened orv'prefera'bly toothed and the band may be in the form of .a chain. It

' will therefore be obvious that when the perfor ator runs slower than the transmitter, slack will accumulate in the lower run of the chain while the-upper run will lose its slack and'approach a taut condition. When,

i on the other hand, the perforator runs faster than the transmitter, the slack accumulates in-the chains upper run and the chain approaches tautness in its lower run.

,7 Thus, the condition of the band or chain 37 may indicate the condition of band 10,

since the two bands-move at the same speed. By providing suitable circuit connections,

signals may be displayed to indicate the above conditions or movement of the machines may be automatically controlled.

companion spring 46. These contact springs, however, may be separated-when the upper run of chain37, becoming "taut, elevates lever against the tension of spring 43. 7

Ifthe controller is operating in connection with-a multiplex telegraph system, cur- I rentmay Joe intermittently supplied to electromagnet 30 from a grounded source of energy 50, through local'segments 51 and the brushes of a rotary current distributor 52 of the usual type. When the brushes inter- I connect segments51, current flows through a conductor 53 and then in parallel through a conductor 54, contact springs and 46 and a winding'55 of a relay 56, and a back contact 57, movable contact 58 and a winding 59 of relay 56 to conductor 60, and from thence through electromagnet 30 to ground. Windings 55 and 59 of relay 56 are differentially arranged so that when equal currents are flowing through them their effects are neutralized and an armature 61 is not attracted. Armature 61 is connected to a grounded source of energy "through parallel paths comprising a resistance 66 and a signal lamp 67. As long, therefore, as contact springs 45 and 46 arein engagement, whenever the brushes of distrib-uter 52 interconnect segments 51, current momentarily flows'from source 50 through the previously traced circuits through electromagnet 30,

and bands 10 and 37 are advanced a step.

'When however, the upper run of band 37 becomes sufiiciently taut,due to the stoppage or slowness the periforator feed, lever 40 is raised and contact springs 45 and 46 are separated. Upon the next interconnectlon of segments 51, the path through winding 55 of relay 56 being opened, all of the current from source 50 flows through winding" 59 which results in' the attraction of armature 61. The attraction of this armature breaks the circuit between back contact 57 and movable contact 58 of relay 56, and completes a circuit iirom source 65-through resistance 66 and signal 67, armature 61, movable contact 58, winding 59, conductor 60 and ele'ctromagnet 30 to ground. Electromagnet 30 remains continuously energized by the current in this circuit and is unresponsive to the interconnection of segments 51 as long as the upper run of band 37 issufiiciently taut to hold contacts 45 and 46 separated, and signal 67 gives a warning of the condition of. the bands. When, however there is-an accumulation in the upper run, sufficient to allow spring 43 to depress lever 40 and cause the re'e'ngagement of contacts 45 and 46, the neXt interconnection of segments 51 causes a flow of current through conductors 53 and 54, contacts 45 and 46, winding 55 of relay 56, conductor 60 and electromagnet. 30 to ground. This current being made equal to the current flowing through winding 58 from source 65, causes relay 56 to release its armature 61, opening' the previously traced holding circuit from grounded source 65,-and reestablishing the parallel circuit for source 50. The hereinbefore described intermittent feeding action of electromagnet. 30 now can proceed as before the interruption occurred. The 00- operation of chain 37 and lever 40 can thus prevent an undue tautness in band 10, provided suflicient initial accumulation was allowed in the band between the perforator and transmitter.

Projecting above the lower run of chain 37 is the free end of a lever 7 0 provided with a friction-reducing device 71. Lever 70 is carried by a pivoted block 7 2 and is normally held by a spring 7 3 against a stop 74. Block 72 insulatively carries a switch contact spring 75 adapted to coiiperate with but normally separated from a companion spring 76. When contact springs 75 and 76 are brought into engagement with each other, a circuit is completed from a source of energy 77 through a relay 78. Relay 78 is provlded with an armature 79 which is adapted to complete a circuit from a source of energy 80 through a suitable signallamp 81. v 0

Normally ;the tension 'in spring 73 holds lever 70 against stop 74, and contact springs 75 and 76 are separated. When, however, the perforator feeds faster than the transmitter, the lower run of chain 37 approaches a taut condition, and sooner or later,-depending upon the initial location of the end of lever 70, will engage this lever and move contact spring 75 into engagement with spring 76. Relay 78 is thereupon energized by current from source 77 and, pulling up its armature 79, causes current from source 80 to flow through and operate signal 81. In this way, an undue accumulation of band 10, which is moving at the same speed as chain 87, may be prevented, and in connection with that part of the apparatus hereinbefore described, the feeding action of the perforator and transmitter may be kept within certain limits.

Instead of controlling the feed of the perforator manually and causing the tautness in the lower run of chain 37 to merely operate a signal, the feeding action may be made automatic, and tension in the lower run of the chain may cause the feeding action to be automatically stopped precisely as in the case of the transmitter. On the other hand,

I if desired, the simple signaling apparatus controlled by lever 70 may be substituted for the automatic stopping apparatus controlled by lever 40, and the feeding of the transmitter left to manual supervision.

The invention claimed is: 1. A controlling system comprising. two

' machines adapted to act upon a band of material passing between them, a normally independent driving motor for each machine, means controlled by the two machines and simulating the condition of said, band of material, and control influencing apparatusafiected by said means.

2. A controlling system comprising two machines adapted to act upon a band of material passing between them, means controlled by the two machines independent ;of said band of material and simulating the condition of said band, and apparatus affected by the tension of said means to influence the control of the condition of said band.

3. A controlling system comprising two machines adapted to act upon a band of material passing betweenthem, means controlled by each of the two machines and simulating the condition of said band of material, and control influencing apparatus affected by different portions of said means.

4. A controlling system comprising two machines adapted to act upon a bandof material passing from one to the other, means for controlling the movement of said band, and a flexible medium independent of said band and controlled by said machines for affecting said. means.

5. A controlling system comprising two machines adapted to successively act upon passing between and controlled by saidmachines, and means afiected by the condition of said second hand for controlling the passage of said first mentioned band.

6. A controlling system comprising two machines adapted to successively act upon a band of material passing between them, a second endless band independent of the first said band and also passing between and controlled by said. machines, means controlled by the condition of one part of said. second band 'for affecting the movement of said first mentioned band, and a signal controlled by the condition of another part of said second band for warning of a condition of said first mentioned band.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 10th day of July, A. D., 1915.

EDGAR V7. ADAMS.

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